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Funtastic Unit Studies sent me their Science Unit Studies For Homeschoolers and Teachers for review. This is a physical book that includes science unit studies for ages 4-13. The studies are broken up into two age groups: 4-7 and 8-13.
Chapters for ages 4-7:
Our Senses
The Human Body
Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life
Animals
Insects and Their Kin
Fun with Magnets
Stars and Planets
Health
Beginning Plants
Animal Ecology
Chapters for ages 8-13:
Insects
Microscopes and Invisible Creatures
Atoms and Molecules
Matter
Chemistry Fun
Weather
Force and Motin
Simple Machines
Light and Color
Plants II
For this review I worked on the first unit Our Senses with my 4 year old. It was a topic I wanted to cover with him this year. Each unit starts with a large supply list. Most of these things were items we already had (toothpicks, paper, ice, rice, food coloring ... to name a few.) Having a 4 year old I had to do a little prep work by reading the chapter and seeing what he was truly capable of doing and enjoying. (I want science to be 100% fun at this age.) Since their were 7 activities it was easy to see which ones would work and which wouldn't. I was even able to modify to make it fit better. I feel like he has a full grasp of this unit - senses- after working through the activities and stories!
For example one activity was to get a potato, toothpicks and some veggies. Then have the child use the veggies to make the different parts for the senses. I didn't have enough variety of veggies (and my son has some sensory issues with foods) - so we modified by using a Mr. Potato Head.
My Thoughts:
I really like this book. It was exactly what I was looking for in a science book for my little guy this year. Plenty of activities to explore science - great for hands on learners like Jace. It was easy to modify things to fit my child's age and sensory issues which was a big plus for me as well. The units don't take long a week or two at the max which is also nice because you can cover quite a bit over a school year. I also liked that the age range of 4-7 means we can revisit this again next year and he will pick up more as he matures.
Overall it was a hit in our house. My only suggestion would have been to have the supply list broken up by activity as well as the master list. It would make things a tad easier to plan. I also added a reading book about senses to our unit and I would probably do that for the others as well. While there were no suggested reading selections - it was easy enough to look on my shelf for an apprioate go along. I'd also like to note we only used the younger kids section - but the older kids section includes tests and worksheets to make it completely age appropriate for the big kids. This is really a book that will last you many years so to me that is a great investment.
Want to see more? Check out two sample units here!
Check out what the rest of the Crew has to say about Funtastic Unit Studies!
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